July 06, 2011

Christine Varney Leaving DOJ to Join Cravath, Swaine & Moore

After three years as the Justice Department's top antitrust lawyer, Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney will rejoin private practice in the fall.

As of Sept. 6, Varney will be joining New York's Cravath, Swaine & Moore as a partner, deputy presiding partner C. Allen Parker confirmed to The National Law Journal following reports released by several news outlets earlier this afternoon.

Parker said he was "delighted" to confirm the news, but declined to comment further. Antitrust litigation has long been one of Cravath's core practice areas, according to the firm's Web site.

A Justice Department representative could not immediately be reached for comment.

Varney, a former partner at Hogan Lovells when it was still Hogan & Hartson, joined the Justice Department in 2009. She previously served as a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission from 1994 to 1997.